Federal Court Rules That a Warrant is Not Always Needed For 'Inadvertent' NSA Surveillance of Americans

The U.S. government may collect information about U.S. citizens without obtaining a warrant if the information is gathered inadvertently while legally carrying out surveillance of non-nationals abroad, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled in an appeal by Agron Hasbajrami, a U.S. resident arrested in 2011 and who later pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

Hasbajrami challenged the charges, questioning whether the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had legally obtained information about him without a warrant.

The “incidental collection” of Americans’ communications by NSA electronic dragnet that explicitly targets people abroad and without U.S. ties was permissible under the U.S. Constitution, the court ruled. It also said, however, that examining the content of databases of stored NSA information could violate the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The court said the “vast majority” of evidence prosecutors had used against Hasbajrami was “lawfully collected,” but prosecutors did not provide information to the trial court about whether investigators had “queried” NSA databases.

The NSA surveillance program is sometimes called PRISM, which gathers data from tech and telecom companies under court supervision and under the authority of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) but without individual warrants.

“We are gratified by the Court’s remand to resolve a critical factual and constitutional question in this case, as well as its recognition of the important constitutional issues that FISA section 702 raises for everyone. We look forward to the next stage of the litigation,” Hasbajrami’s lawyer Joshua Dratel said in a statement.

A spokesman for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn declined to comment.

The case of Hasbajrami, arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Turkey, was returned to the trial court for a determination about whether evidence against him was lawfully collected and admissible under the Fourth Amendment. Prosecutors said Hasbajrami communicated by email with a non-American overseas, who he believed was associated with a terrorist organization.

Documents detailing NSA telephone and internet surveillance were leaked by former agency contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. Although he is viewed by some as a hero who upheld the U.S. Constitution, authorities want him to stand trial over his disclosures of classified information.

“While we disagree with the court’s ruling that the NSA can collect Americans’ international communications without a warrant … the court rightly finds that the Fourth Amendment applies when the government searches for that sensitive information in intelligence databases,” said American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Patrick Toomey, who filed a brief in the case.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2019/12/federal-court-rules-that-warrant-is-not.html

Online mom poses as 11-year-old girl for 1 week. She encounters extraordinarily disturbing things.

A 37-year-old mom named "Sloane Ryan" documented her experience as an 11-year-old girl on social media — and the outcome was highly disturbing.

What are the details?

In a lengthy — and graphic — post shared on Medium, Ryan recounts her experience posing as 11-year-old "Bailey," an innocent and fresh-faced adolescent at the center of online sex abuse and grooming.

Ryan, who is physically and digitally manipulated to look like an 11-year-old girl, works with "Brian" of Bark, which is an artificial intelligence company leading a research project on the dangers of social media and its impact on adolescents.

Ryan writes, "Bark uses AI to alert parents and schools when children are experiencing issues like cyberbullying, depression, threats of violence — or in this case, targeting by sexual predators." Bark also works with law enforcement to catch said alleged predators.

The program monitors more than 4 million children and analyzes more than 20 million interactions per day.

"Less than a year ago, Brian and I sat in a meeting where we wrestled with how exactly to talk to parents about online grooming," Ryan writes. "Back when Bark was a much smaller team, we encountered a particularly harrowing case of an online predator abusing a girl in middle school. She was only 12 years old, and this man was grooming her through her school email account, coercing her to send videos of herself performing sexual acts. We knew people like him were out there, but it floored us to see how quickly and deftly he was able to manipulate this child."

Ryan reveals that the program alerted the FBI to at least 99 child predators. The alarming number has risen to worse levels in 2019 — with more than 300 reports to the FBI and counting.

Ryan writes, "I upload the photo to Instagram — a generic, innocuous selfie of Bailey with an ear-to-ear smile — and caption it."

The simple caption reads, "v excitedd to see my friends this weekend at carly's party! Ilysm!!"

What happens after a child posts a photo?

Ryan says that adults will respond to such a post "unnervingly fast."

"At the beginning of the week, on the very first night as Bailey, two new messages came in under a minute after publishing a photo," Ryan reveals. "We sat mouths agape as the numbers pinged up on the screen — 2, 3, 7, 15 messages from adult men over the course of two hours. Half of them could be charged with transfer of obscene content to a minor."

Here are some of the more disturbing interactions between "Bailey" and adults:

"Hi! I was just wondering how long you've been a model for? … If not, you should be a model. You're so PRETTY."

"You are a very beautiful girl. … I love your pictures on here. Does your mom and dad let you have a boyfriend yet?"

"Since we are together, are you ready to send sexy pictures to each other?"

You can read more disturbing interactions here.

Ryan writes that the majority of men send explicit, graphic nude photos and videos to the 11-year-old girl within minutes.

http://www.tathasta.com/2019/12/online-mom-poses-as-11-year-old-girl.html

UN Peacekeepers Fathered Hundreds of Babies With Girls in Haiti as Young as 11

United Nations (UN) peacekeepers charged with protecting disaster-struck Haiti have fathered hundreds of babies with local women and girls before leaving them behind in poverty, according to a new study.

A paper published by the University of Birmingham’s Sabine Lee and Queen’s University’s Susan Bartels describes the experience of those people living under the protection of a UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The studies were based on conversations with over 2,500 Haitians who shared the experiences of women and girls in the communities that hosted peace operations. Of the 2,500 talked to, about ten percent revealed stories about peacekeeper-fathered children.

Girls as young as 11 were allegedly sexually abused and impregnated by peacekeepers and left “in misery” to raise their children alone.

The children, dubbed colloquially as “Petit MINUSTAH”, “bébés casques bleus” (blue helmet babies), or “les enfants abandonnés par la MINUSTAH” (the children abandoned by the MINUSTAH) suggests the children will struggle for the unforeseeable future with a label they had no control over.

Some girls were traded for “a few coins” in order to get food and had sex with the peacekeepers as a means of survival. Some girls allegedly had sex with the peacekeepers for just one meal.

The UN mission in Haiti, one of the UN’s longest peacekeeping deployments, has been riddled with controversy. MINUSTAH was already linked to a sex ring in Haiti in which 134 Sri Lankan peacekeepers exploited nine children in a sex ring from 2004 to 2007. Prior to that, Nepalese soldiers inadvertently introduced a cholera outbreak that reportedly claimed 10,000 lives following the major 2010 earthquake event.

In June of this year, Oxfam lost thousands of donors after it allegedly covered up an investigation into staff who had been accused of having paid for sex while working in Haiti in 2010.

The MINUSTAH has also been accused of gang rape, the rape of a mentally challenged 14-year-old boy, exploitation and unexplained deaths, torture, and unfortunately more.

Historians may also recall that United States Marines occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, with U.S. interference in the country continuing up until the present day. Under the leadership of Bill Clinton, the U.S. led a military operation dubbed “Operation Uphold Democracy” into Haiti to remove the military regime that took over following the 1991 Haitian coup d’etat. It is also worth noting that both Bill and Hillary Clinton have a long and controversial relationship with the Caribbean nation.

At the time of writing, the UN has not responded to media requests for comment.

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/un-peacekeepers-fathered-hundreds-of-babies-with-girls-in-haiti-as-young-as-11.html

US jails Israeli binary options fraudster Lee Elbaz for 22 years

Lawyers for CEO in $140 million fraud argued that she was ‘middle management,’ pointed the finger at her bosses Yossi Herzog and Yakov Cohen

GREENBELT, Maryland — Israeli binary options fraudster Lee Elbaz was sentenced to 22 years in prison by a court here on Thursday.

US District Judge Theodore Chuang told Elbaz, 38, that her actions cost vulnerable investors their life savings, homes and even their marriages. “This was a very significant crime with significant harm to victims,” the judge said.

Elbaz grasped the arm of one of her attorneys as the judge announced her sentence. Defense attorney Barry Pollack said his client would appeal her conviction and sentence, which he called “much harsher than it needed to be.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-jails-israeli-binary-options-fraudster-lee-elbaz-for-22-years/

The Mueller investigation never concluded real proof of any crime.

This is coming straight from the Mueller report.

www.documentcloud.org/documents/5955118-The-Mueller-Report.html

Page 10 –

the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

Page 18 –

And the investigation did not establish that one Campaign offcials efforts to dilute a portion of the Republican Party platform on providing assistance to Ukraine were undertaken at the behest of candidate Trump or Russia. The investigation also did not establish that a meeting between Kislyak and Sessions in September 2016 at Sessions?s Senate of?ce included any more than a passing mention of the presidential campaign.

Page 74 –

In particular, the investigation examined whether these contacts involved or resulted in coordination or a conspiracy with the Trump Campaign and Russia, including with respect to Russia providing assistance to the Campaign in exchange for any sort of favorable treatment in the future. Based on the available information, the investigation did not establish such coordination.

Page 103 –

However, the investigation did not establish that Page coordinated with the Russian government in its efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election

Page 129 –

The investigation did not establish that Manafort otherwise coordinated with the Russian government on its election-interference efforts.

Page 139 –

The investigation did not establish that Manafort otherwise coordinated with the Russian government on its election-interference efforts.

Page 152 –

The investigation did not establish that these efforts reflected or constituted coordination between the Trump Campaign and Russia in its election interference activities.

Page 181 –

Ultimately, the investigation did not establish that the Campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.

Page 189 –

The investigation did not establish that the contacts described in Volume 1, Section IV, supra, amounted to an agreement to commit any substantive violation of federal criminal law?including foreign-influence and campaign finance laws, both of which are discussed further below. The Office therefore did not charge any individual associated with the Trump Campaign with conspiracy to commit a federal offense arising from Russia contacts, either under a special statute or under Section 371 ?s offenses clause.

Page 189 –

The investigation did not establish any agreement among Campaign officials? or between such officials and Russia-linked individuals?to interfere with or obstruct a lawful function of a government agency during the campaign or transition period.

Page 219 –

Second, unlike cases in which a subject engages in Obstruction of justice to cover up a crime, the evidence we obtained did not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.

Page 288 –

The evidence does not establish that the termination of Comey was designed to cover up a conspiracy between the Trump Campaign and Russia: As described in Volume I, the evidence uncovered in the investigation did not establish that the President or those close to him were involved in the charged Russian computer-hacking or active-measure conspiracies, or that the President otherwise had an unlawful relationship with any Russian official

Page 289 –

The investigation, however, did not establish that when the President fired Comey, he was considering the possibility that the investigation would uncover these payments or that the President?s intent in fring Comey was otherwise connected to a concern about these matters coming to light.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/the-mueller-investigation-never-concluded-real-proof-of-any-crime/

Putin and the ‘Biden Memorial Pipeline’ to China

In early 2014 Washington staged a blatant coup d’etat in Ukraine breaking the historic relationship with Russia and setting the stage for the subsequent NATO demonization of Russia. The one in charge for the Obama Administration of the Ukraine coup was then-Vice President Joe Biden. Today a bizarre Democrat impeachment attempt aimed at President Donald Trump has curiously enough put the spotlight on the dubious role that Joe Biden played in Ukraine affairs in 2014 and after. That Biden-steered coup had the unintended effect of causing a 180 degree geopolitical pivot of Moscow from West to East. The opening of a massive new gas pipeline now is only one of those unintended consequences.

On December 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the official opening of the Power of Siberia natural gas pipeline to Asia, servicing the growing China gas market. It met the planned deadline punctually, to the month. This marked the first Russian pipeline gas deliveries to China. In a videolink with China President Xi Jinping, Putin remarked, “This step is bringing Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation in energy to a whole new level.” Xi called it “a milestone project for the bilateral energy cooperation.”

The opening, a huge engineering feat, completes a pipeline through Russia’s Eastern Siberia north of Mongolia to the border with China, running more than 2,200 kilometers across Russia’s east territories. It is the largest gas pipeline project in the world to date.

The pipeline is designed to deal with temperatures as low as 62 C minus, and withstand earthquakes along its route. It begins in the Chayanda gas field in Yakutia and completes the Russian section at Blagoveshchensk on the Russia–China border. There, via two underwater pipelines under the Amur River, it connects with a Chinese gas line going south to Shanghai, the 3,371-kilometer-long Heihe–Shanghai pipeline in China. The world’s largest market demand increase for gas fuel in recent years has been China.

In May 2014, Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed a $400 billion 30-year agreement for gas to be supplied via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. The Russian gas deliveries to China will be 38 billion cubic meters per year when it reaches peak in 2025. In 2018 China natural gas consumption was 280 bcm, so the Siberian contribution is significant. It will eventually supply some 10% of China’s total gas needs for electricity and heating, to China’s underdeveloped northeast regions and south as far as Shanghai. But the project is about much more than gas to China.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/52725.htm

McConnell: Holding articles of impeachment gives Pelosi no leverage

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) strategy of holding articles of impeachment in the House rather than sending them to the upper chamber won’t put any pressure on him to agree to a rules package for the Senate trial.

“It’s beyond me how the Speaker and Democratic leader in the Senate think withholding the articles of impeachment and not sending them over gives them leverage,” McConnell told reporters after criticizing the House impeachment effort in a lengthy floor speech.

“Frankly, I’m not anxious to have the trial. If she thinks her case is so weak she doesn’t want to send it over, throw me into that briar patch,” McConnell added.

McConnell panned the House Democratic investigation of President Trump as “by far the thinnest basis for any House-passed presidential impeachment in American history.”

He also mocked House Democrats as being afraid to submit their two articles of impeachment to the Senate.

“The prosecutors are getting cold feet in front of the entire country and second-guessing whether they even want to go to trial,” he said. “They said impeachment was so urgent that it could not even wait for due process but now they’re content to sit on their hands. It is comical.”

McConnell has all but guaranteed Trump’s acquittal on the Senate floor, telling reporters earlier this week, “I would anticipate an almost partisan outcome in the Senate.”

The GOP leader and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) are expected to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss the rules of the trial.

McConnell has said he is only willing to agree to a resolution that would set up how much time the House impeachment managers and the president’s defense team have to present their cases on the Senate floor, and how much time senators have to submit written questions to the presiding officer, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

He has ruled out an agreement that would include the possibility of additional witnesses and documentary evidence are subpoenaed.

“I’m optimistic that we can agree on Phase One. It’s pretty obvious we’re likely to disagree on Phase Two and we’ll see at that point whether there are 51 members of the Senate who want to take one of two directions, either going in the direction of witnesses or going in the direction of voting on articles of impeachment,” McConnell said Tuesday.

Schumer on Thursday said calling key witnesses such as acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and reviewing additional documents are essential to having a fair trial.

“We want a fair trial. A fair trial, to my way of thinking, involves witnesses and documents. You don’t have trials without them,” he said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/475307-mcconnell-holding-articles-of-impeachment-gives-pelosi-no-leverage

Poroshenko himself insisted Minsk agreements be signed by Donbass leaders — Putin

The Russian president pointed to the fact that elections were held in the two republics of Donbass, which, according to him, is democratic

Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko himself asked in February 2015, when the Minsk agreements were signed, that leaders of the Donbass republics put their signatures under them, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an annual news conference on Thursday.

"Pyotr Alekseyevich insisted that signatures of the leaders of those two unrecognized republics be put under these agreements," he said answering a question from a Ukrainian journalist about when a decision would be taken to disband the leadership of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR respectively).

"The three of them simply had me by the throat, but the republics’ representatives refused to do it," the Russian president continued. "Nevertheless, we persuaded them to do it. They put their signatures. Thus, Kiev admitted that those authorities exist."

"It is first," Putin said. "Second, elections were held there. People came and voted. It seems to me that it is a very democratic way of forming the authorities. Third, the Minsk accords contain direct indications of what rights the republics have and what they have the right to claim for. They mention the language and the local militia. There are some controversial issues, I will not hide anything. Everyone must know what we are talking about," he said.

Minsk accords

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the European security watchdog OSCE on February 12, 2015, signed a 13-point Package of Measures to fulfil the September 2014 Minsk agreements.

The Package of Measures, known as Minsk-2, envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and people’s militias in the self-proclaimed republics in Donetsk and Lugansk starting from February 15 and subsequent withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of engagement. The deal also laid out a roadmap for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including prisoner exchange in the all-for-all format, local elections and constitutional reform to give more autonomy to the war-torn eastern regions.

https://tass.com/politics/1101261

South Korea Rejects US Troop Cost Demands, Talks End Without Deal

No more talks scheduled before deal expires

Two days of negotiations between the US and South Korea on cost-sharing of the US military presence have ended in failure, and there are no more talks scheduled before the existing deal expires on December 31.

President Trump’s last minute demands for a massive increase could be shaping up to be a huge mistake, as South Korea was already paying more than most nations do for US troops, and had agreed to a more modest increase. Getting from $800 million per year to around $1 billion per year was one thing, but Trump’s zero-hero demand for $5 billion per year angered many in South Korea.

The US didn’t do a good job of justifying this unprecedented increase, either, with administration officials arguing that South Korea is rich and therefore could afford it. With South Korea working on improved military ties with China and making peace overtures to North Korea, however, it isn’t clear that what they could afford is even necessary.

South Korea says that work will continue on a fair and reasonable agreement, while US officials have refused all comment. This once again gives the impression that the US is intractable on the matter, which is driving a lot of popular opposition in South Korea.

https://news.antiwar.com/2019/12/18/south-korea-rejects-us-troop-cost-demands-talks-end-without-deal/

Barr Says Comey Lying Over Attempt To Distance Himself From FBI Quagmire

James Comey's claim that the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation was run "seven layers" below him is a total lie according to Attorney General William Barr, who said that the FBI's probe was actually handled by a "very small group of very high level officials."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/barr-says-comey-lying-over-attempt-distance-himself-fbi-quagmire

California Blocks Release of Spending Records

Watchdog says Golden State threatens accountability and transparency

California is the only state in the country that has refused to reveal public spending records to a government watchdog, prompting threats of legal action.

OpenTheBooks.com, a nonprofit dedicated to government transparency, said the Golden State is the lone holdout since it began sending public record inquiries to state governments in 2013. Governments in 49 states have complied with requests for itemized accounts of taxpayer funds sent to vendors and public sector employees. California's state government, however, has so far failed to provide the details of the 49 million individual payments it makes each year using taxpayer dollars, saying it is unable to track and document its activities.

"Their excuse is that they can't locate the records—that their system doesn't allow the controller after she makes the payment to track the payment," OpenTheBooks.com founder Adam Andrzejewski told the Washington Free Beacon. "We are preparing to sue the State of California and force them to open their books."

The office of the California state controller Betty Yee did not respond to requests for comment.

OpenTheBooks.com has previously sued state governments to disclose the details of their spending, targeting both sides of the aisle from heavily Republican Wyoming to Democrat stronghold Illinois. The group has now set its sights on a legal battle in California to force the state to comply with its open record laws.

"They're just raising a massive red flag because, obviously, they're hiding everything," Andrzejewski said.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/california-blocks-release-of-spending-records/

Nancy Pelosi Just Told A Lie So Big That the Media Just Fact-Checked Her

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a lie so egregious that even the liberal media called her out for it.

Back in September, Pelosi spread a woefully inaccurate tweet about the actual number of children killed with firearms each year.

Her goal was to push more anti-gun propaganda, but the Washington Post fact-checked her on Thursday and gave her four Pinocchios for a “bogus talking point.”

https://thedcpatriot.com/nancy-pelosi-just-told-a-lie-so-big-that-the-media-just-fact-checked-her/

Putin Says Trump Will Survive Impeachment Proceedings

Putin denounced the impeachment proceedings as “spurious” and said the US Senate is unlikely to remove Trump.

Putin said the Democratic push for impeachment is “part of the ongoing domestic political battle” in Washington.

RUSSIA’S PUTIN, ASKED ABOUT IMPEACHMENT VOTE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP, SAYS I AM NOT SURE IT’S END OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY YET

RUSSIA’S PUTIN, ASKED ABOUT IMPEACHMENT VOTE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP, SAYS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM ARE DREAMT UP

RUSSIA’S PUTIN SAYS US SENATE IS UNLIKELY TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM PRESIDENCY

https://theduran.com/putin-says-trump-will-survive-impeachment-proceedings/

==Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Convicted of International Drug Trafficking Conspiracy=

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-drug-trafficking-organization-convicted-international-drug-trafficking-conspiracy

Thousands of cops, veterans, supporters pledge to join militia in Virginia to combat unconstitutional laws

Virginia – Monday morning, Law Enforcement Today reported on how Tazewell County, Virginia is crafting a militia to defend the Constitution in the state. And within hours, we were flooded with thousands of emails from people across the state – police officers, veterans, and patriotic Americans – who said they are joining.

And it’s a movement that’s gaining traction across the state.

Wrote one man:

“I am Vietnam vet, ex-police, retired and am behind your ideas 100% , anything I can do I would like to help.

I live in Franklin County, which voted down being a sanctuary city being the council is Democratic, a moonshine county giving up their guns is dumb.

The South gave up their flag, their statues and now they want their guns, sounds like Hitler’s Germany.”

Wrote another:

“There had already been rumblings locally about a militia being formed last month. We started carefully and quietly assembling patriotic Americans who are prepared to defend freedom at all costs.

In the past day those numbers have swelled. We have a very strong military presence here – more veterans and both active and retired LE than you can count.

As of this evening, we’re talking about thousands of people that have expressed an interest in being a part of this movement.”

Here’s the deal. Last week, we reported on how lawmakers over in Virginia were threatening to use the National Guard if members of local law enforcement refused to enforce laws passed in the state that they felt violated the second amendment.

That’s what sparked things in Tazewell County, which said it isn’t going down without a fight.

On top of calling themselves a second amendment sanctuary county, they’re also crafting a militia as well. The Virginia county has taken the movement that has swept across the state and added an element that is sure to trigger pro gun-grabbing politicians in the state.

https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/thousands-of-cops-veterans-supporters-pledge-to-join-militia-in-virginia/

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/75754/thousands-of-cops-veterans-supporters-pledge-to-join-militia-in-virginia-to-combat-unconstitutional.html

Not Just France: 14 Major Countries Where People Are Rioting - What Does it Mean?

Hong Kong

Free-market capitalism like Communism, which it partnered, has proved time and again to be a failure. Have the chickens come home to roost? In the Western democracies, the promised riches are distributed far too unequally, and for most, they never transpire.

Belgium

Lately, there seems to be an unusually large number of mass resistance movements unfolding in countries all over the world. France is repeatedly paralysed by national strikes such as the current transport strike that has put the nation’s transport infrastructure in gridlock.

Sweden

In Sweden, the CEO of Scania, a major trucking company in Sweden, warned that the country could be headed towards a civil war due to the social problems that have bubbled up as a result taking in massive numbers of migrants from alien cultures.

Spain

In Spain, Italy and Germany, such as the disenchantment with their current regimes that a massive swing to the popular right is taking place.

Britain on December 12 heads for the polls and likely a hung or coalition regime squatting in Westminster. The United States is tearing itself apart as the U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached. Recently, the president was humiliated by Western leaders during a NATO anniversary conference.

South Africa

South Africa is mired in a racial civil war whilst at the other end of the Dark Continent, Libya, until 2004 Africa’s most prosperous and benign nation has been bombed back to the Stone Age by NATO. Thanks to Russian intervention, all-out civil war has been prevented in Ukraine and Syria.

Ecuador

In the U.S., Puerto Rico’s recent political turmoil upended the entire local government structure. In Latin America, there have been upheavals over the past few weeks in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile.

https://russia-insider.com/en/not-just-france-14-major-countries-where-people-are-rioting-what-does-it-mean/ri28013

Former Navy Petty Officer sentenced to 8 years on child pornography charge

NEW ORLEANS – A former Navy Petty Officer assigned to a New Orleans Fleet Readiness Center at the time of his arrest was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison Tuesday for receipt of more than 1,000 images of child pornography 125 videos depicting the sexual victimization of children by adults. The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations.

Don Edward Pannell II, 32, of Harvey, Louisiana, previously pleaded guilty in August to receiving child pornography between October 2017 and April 2018.

HSI special agents arrested Pannell at his residence April 2, 2018, and according to court documents a forensic examination of electronic devices located more than 1,000 images and 125 videos on Pannell’s desktop computer. The images and videos depicted pre-pubescent girls, to include toddlers, being sexually exploited by adults.

“Individuals who send or receive child pornography further injure innocent victims each time these illegal images are distributed more widely online," said Jere T. Miles, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans. “Child sex abuse is one of the most serious crimes HSI investigates due to the lasting psychological and physical damage it can inflict on victims, and it will continue to be one of the agency’s highest priorities.”

U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry sentenced Pannell to 97 months in federal prison on one count of felony receipt of child pornography. In addition to imprisonment, Pannell was ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution and serve five years supervised release following the completion of his sentence. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba prosecuted the case on behalf of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana Peter G. Strasser.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/former-navy-petty-officer-sentenced-8-years-child-pornography-charge